TPC-Journal-V1-Issue3

The Professional Counselor \ Volume 1, Issue 1 231 2007). One approach counselors might utilize is existential counseling. Using this framework, adolescents could explore meaning, family of origin issues, resistance to change and other existential issues in order to ultimately create new meaning outside of the violent relationship (Klem et al., 2009). However, there are limitations to this approach, notably that adolescents must be cognitively able to discuss existential concerns and must also be committed to accept responsibility for personal choices (Klem et al., 2009). Regardless of the approach, when counselors are welcoming and willing to discuss relationship issues, they can have a lasting impact on students’ current and future relationships (Davis & Benshoff, 1999). Limitations and Future Directions While this research provides important information about young adolescent female perceptions of dating violence, the results must be taken into context within the limitations. An expansion of this study to explore adolescent conceptualizations of healthy relationships is warranted. This study focused on views of adolescent females and did not include the voice of males. Future studies could explore the dating perceptions and experiences of young adolescent males. Also, the sample only included seven individuals representing three ethnic groups from the same geographic region. Future research could include a more diverse sample. Study findings may not readily apply to other adolescent females, and thus additional research with various sample types and sizes is needed. Clinicians and researchers are encouraged to examine how young adolescent males and females of various demographics—as victims and perpetrators— describe and experience healthy and abusive relationships in order to effectively intervene and reduce adolescent victimization in our schools and communities. References Ackard, D.M., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2002). Date violence and date rape among adolescents: Associations with disordered eating behaviors and psychological health. Child Abuse and Neglect, 26 , 455–473. Ashley, O. S., & Foshee, V. A. (2005). Adolescent help-seeking for dating violence:prevalence, sociodemographic correlates, and sources of help. Journal of Adolescent Health, 36 , 25–31. Banyard, V. L., & Cross, C. (2008). Consequences of teen dating violence: Understanding intervening variables in ecological context. Violence Against Women, 14, 998–1013. Banyard, V. L., Cross, C., & Modecki, K. (2006). Interpersonal violence in adolescence: Ecological correlates of self- reported perpetration. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 21, 1314–1332. Carlson, L. A. (2003). Existential theory: Helping school counselors attend to youth at risk for violence. Professional School Counseling, 6, 310–315. Cleveland, H. H., Herrera, V. M., & Stuewig, J. (2003). Abusive males and abused females in adolescent relationships: Risk factor similarity and dissimilarity and the role of relationship seriousness. Journal of Family Violence, 18, 325–339. Close, S. M. (2005). Dating violence prevention in middle school and high school youth. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 18 , 2–9. Collins, W. A., & Sroufe, L. A. (1999). Capacity for intimate relationships: A developmental construction. In W. Furman, B. Brown, & B. Bradford (Eds.), The development of romantic relationships in adolescence. Cambridge studies in social and emotional development (pp. 125–147). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Connolly J., Friedlander, L., Pepler, D., Craig, W., & Laporte, L. (2010). The ecology of adolescent dating aggression: Attitudes, relationships, media use and socio-demographic risk factors. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 19, 469–491. Craigen, L. M., Sikes, A., Healey, A., & Hays, D. G. (2009). School counselors’ role in dating violence intervention. Journal of School Counseling, 7 (18). Retrieved from http://www.jsc.montana.edu/articles/v7n18.pdf Cyr, M., McDuff, P., & Wright, J. (2006). Prevalence and predictors of dating violence among adolescent female victims of child sexual abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 21 , 1000–1017. Davis, K. M., & Benshoff, J. M. (1999). A proactive approach to couples counseling with adolescents. Professional School